Southern Electric Selling Tactics Suck

Got door-stopped last night by bloke who tried to "sell" us a transfer to Southern Electric without making it clear he was trying to sell us something.

Sent him packing.

I'm sorry, but when someone turns up saying "you are a preferred customer" for a company I have never heard of let alone have any connection with, my reaction says "you want my money" and I say aloud "Sorry, I am not interested in transferring supplier to give you my money." When they persist in rabbiting that "you are currently paying too much for my energy supplies", my alarm bells go off to say "you want my money" and I say aloud "Sorry, I really am not interested in transferring supplier to give you my money."

When despite making it clear I am not interested in hearing about, let alone transferring to, Southern Electric and still the guy does not get off my doorstep, I find myself saying "I really would appreciate it if you would leave." As I try to close the door and see he is still standing there, still talking (now in confused tone bewailing that I am "a preferred customer" [NB I am not anything of the sort - I am a potential customer, one who he is desparate to get to sign up, even if that involves me being baffled by language that tries to avoid admitting it wants my money]) I get cranky: now I ask again for him to leave.

Still he stands there. I now take the freephone card he had offered earlier and say once more I am not interested in Southern Electric and I do not at the current time wish to change suppliers (this is about the 5th time I have said as much since he began to give his spiel). He is still trying to do his pitch, and I am now telling him again to get off my doorstep as his tactics are now bordering on harassment. As he still keeps going, still confused in his tone of babbling about "preferred customer status" at my address [aka I do not currently use Southern Electric], I say a firm "thank you - I will now be calling to complain to your freephone number about your tactics for selling the services of Southern Electric". I shut the door and note it still takes him nearly a minute to leave the doorstep.

I call Southern Electric, who are actually remarkably efficient and polite about the visit and registering my complaint. However, given that EnergyWatch don't think much of their tactics, I don't have any compunction about posting this rant.

Southern Electric Suck.